Hole in My Head
by xShyxPandax18
Summary: Daryl has noticed something in the woods lately and it's not a Walker. So he takes Rick and Glenn out what is really going on. Authors Note: An OC character is involved and I hope you will all love her! Rated Mature for language and possible romance in the future. Not sure on the last bit yet.
1. Chapter 1- Caught

**Authors Note: **Hello everyone! As you can see, I'm getting my zombie fix lately. Ahh, so time for a Walking Dead fanfic. An original character, and hopefully Daryl feels later. Also! Don't be alarmed in future chapters when points of view switch. I'll probably switch between Daryl and Layla a bunch. But enjoy yourself! :D

The world was oddly quiet with no sounds from animals or even the wind. There was no light from the moon, only the little light given by the stars. It was the atmosphere that Layla loved the most. She made her way quietly through the trees, grasping onto low branches and swinging from limb to limb as she followed the small party of people below her. She had honestly thought that someone would notice, especially the guy with the crossbow. He had been leading the small group to follow a trail of some sort. Admittedly, she had been watching them for a while now, coming across the prison they had taken completely by accident. She shook her head of the thoughts and continued to follow quietly so she could listen to any conversation that were to be said.

"Daryl, are ya sure there is really someone out here?" The question had come from the man that was directly behind the guy with the crossbow. She studied him for a moment as the small party stopped and the leader looked at him with irritation.

"Do ya really think I would've brought y'all out here if didn't?" The leader rolled his eyes and continued on, following tracks of some sort. As they moved forward a feeling of unease began to grow in Layla's gut. She was beginning to think that maybe they were following her tracks even though she had been sure she had covered her recent ones. Layla observed the group, taking note of their appearances. She only had one name and it had been applied to the sandy-blonde male leading the others. There was the one following closely behind him with dark hair and dark stubble on his face. The last one of the group was a small Asian guy who looked not that much older than Layla. In fact, she could almost guarantee he was younger.

Catching a sigh of irritation from letting her thoughts get away from her, Layla frowned as the feeling in her gut became more prominent. She knew they were getting close to where she had been camping out though she was sure that wasn't the problem. It was something else that was bothering her. Frowning deeply, she slid down to lower branches just low enough to ambush if one of the flesh rotting meat bags came close to the party.

To her surprise, the one leading stopped. The other two followed suit and looked at him curiously.  
"Shh." Layla held her breath as the leader looked around and raised his crossbow up to eye level. They moved slowly forward and she knew they had finally found her campsite. There was a small tent on the ground though she only used it to store any food she found, and remains of a small fire.

"Told ya." There was no reply as the guy with the crossbow moved forward and carefully decided to peek into the tent. Layla took a step forward on the branch she was standing on, anticipation causing her flesh to crawl.

"It's empty. But I know there was someone here." The man came back out and looked at the other two with a telling frown. Layla nearly let out a sigh of relief when she took a step back and lost her footing. She wasn't sure if it was her bad luck or just that she was not being chased by flesh eating monsters, but instead of gaining her balance back like she would normally do she instead wobbled tediously on the branch then slid off, landing on her ass in a flurry of red hair and flailing arms right behind the Asian kid.

"Shit."


	2. Chapter 2- Plans

Daryl had been expecting to find someone tonight but he certainly hadn't expected that someone to fall from the sky like it was a God-given gift. 'Shut the hell up, Daryl. You know better 'n to think that.' He frowned down at the mess of the woman that had fallen.

"You're lucky I didn't shoot ya or nothin'." He spoke nothing but the truth. He had almost shot her just in surprise and had seen Glenn and Rick almost react the same way. He was sure that the only thing that had saved her was that she had spoken as soon as she had hit the ground. Rick looked at him and Daryl knew he was trying to ask him for his opinion. He merely shrugged and looked back at the woman on the ground.

"What are you doing out here?" The question came from Glenn, surprising both Daryl and Rick. Usually Glenn stood back and let Rick do the talking unless it was something he cared about. Daryl was definitely the kind to just sit back and watch. He had been since he was a kid. The woman looked up at them with green eyes narrowed.

"And why do ye think I would tell ye?" This was another surprise to Daryl, though he tried not to react to this one. The woman had spoken with an Irish accent and he was sure it was fake.

"You can drop the fake accent and just tell us who you are and what you're doing here." Rick had spoken the same thought that Daryl had and he had to hold back a smile of amusement.

"Fake accent... My accent is not fake, I'm tellin' ye! Now, I don't know ye and ye don't know me so don't go on judging right off the bloody bat ye fool!" The woman stood, placing her hands on her hips and all three of them drew their weapons on her automatically. She realized her error and then slowly lifted her hands in a gesture of peace. "Ya best be watchin' your mouth, girl. It seems we're the armed ones." Daryl let the words slip from his mouth as his eyes narrowed on her. As amusing as this situation was, he knew it was time to get going. There were bound to be Walkers any moment now.  
"Okay so your accent is real. Mind tellin' me what you were doin' watchin' us?" Rick kept his weapon trained on the girl as did Daryl, though Glenn slowly started to drop his weapon.

"I came across yer prison by accident. I had been running from those monsters since... Since my da and my other group. I found it and saw you and yer men come and go and decided to get a camp somewhere nearby in case I ever needed help. Not that it looks like yer good 'nough people to help." The woman pined them with a blunt glare and Daryl couldn't help but feel slightly amused.  
"Can you blame us? You fell out of a tree right behind us. Rick, this isn't the best place to be interrogating her, don't you think? We should get out of here. We could take her back and put her in one of the cells so we're all safe." Rick looked at Glenn and Daryl could see him processing what would be a better option before he nodded.

"Good idea, Glenn. Daryl?" Rick moved his gaze over to Daryl and he gave a nod of approval even though he kept his crossbow on the woman. "All right then, Daryl will lead us back, Glenn you are behind us and I will keep an eye on her." Daryl moved to his spot and began to lead the way out of the woods. He was beginning to think that taking Rick out at the middle of the night had been a bad idea when the first sounds of a walker reached his ears. He stopped and nodded ahead to give Rick and Glenn warning. As amusing as the woman was, he didn't much care for her. His family came first and being that they were his family it only mattered if they understood what was happening. Daryl led the way slowly and cautiously, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. The walker wasn't far from them, it's gasps and groans gave away it's position. He attempted to lead them around the Walker and then made a straight line for the prison. There were walkers surrounding their new home, as there usually was, but they were easy to pick off as long as someone was waiting to let the three of them in.  
As they neared the fence, Daryl halted and looked across the flat land before the fence to decide which way was the best to get them safely inside. He could see an outline of someone following the perimeter and decided to alert them with his flashlight. Knowing it could give away their position easily, he looked over to the woman.  
"You climb trees, right?"  
"I do. What do ye need me to do?"  
"Climb that tree up there and flash this on the person doing the perimeter." Daryl handed her the flashlight and she gave him a curt nod before scurrying up a tree. 'C'mon, just look over and see the light.'

**Authors Note: **I obviously fail at typing accents. D: I apologize for it. D:


	3. Chapter 3-Tired

Layla hadn't expected the guy to ask her to climb a tree and to use a flashlight to grab the attention of whoever was at the fence line. She knew that he did this because he wouldn't have wanted his friends to do it in case the flesh-eaters noticed the light and went towards them. She let out a quiet breath and climbed the tree quietly, biting her lip out of habit. Once she was high enough that the damn things couldn't attack her if they decided to leave her as bait, she extended her arm and attempted to point the flashlight directly at the guard. With the flick of her thumb, the flashlight turned on and sent the beam across the open field toward the gate. She instinctively flinched and watched as the person seemed to jump in surprise.

"Flash it," someone hissed from below her, and she did so. A few moments later there was a quick flash back to them and a soft chuckle from below. "A'ight, c'mon down now." Layla rolled her eyes as she was ordered to come back down but she did as she was told. Once her feet were touching the ground again she looked at them curiously.

"So... What's yer plan, big guy?" The guy with the crossbow looked at her with a frown then looked back to the man with the dark facial hair. 'Come on you ninny. You know their names now. Daryl, Rick, Glenn. Rick, Glenn, Daryl.' She shook her head to try and focus, though she seemed to be lost in her thoughts all too often of late.

"We have to get back in there but there are a few walkers near the entrance, I think if we can get up their quickly enough and quietly enough, we'll be just fine. But if we have to fight 'em off, let's make sure to use silent weapons. Do ya have a weapon?" The question took Layla by surprise. Did she have a weapon?

"Of course." She gave him an incredulous look and he shook his head before motioning forward. Sne followed their lead, though Glenn kept close to her. She assumed it was not for protection from the flesh-eaters, but rather protection for his friends from her. They made their way silently across the field, the low-visibility a blessing but also a sin. The zombies couldn't see them well but they also couldn't see the zombies either. As they approached the large fence, an outline of a figure running towards them caused several of the flesh eaters to wander a little closer. Layla could feel her heart beat speed up and the adrenaline began to pump through her veins.  
Glenn stumbled over a disembodied arm and Layla reached out to steady him with a tight grip, pulling him faster towards the others.

"Time to get our asses in gear. Book it, only shoot if ya have to." Rick whispered the order and they began to run towards the gate. The rattling sound of keys was the cue that someone was ready to open it as soon as they were close enough, but the startling sounds of groans near the four of them caused Layla to reach for her machete. 'Almost there!' The thought raced across her mind and the gate began to open. Several silenced gunshots whizzed past the four of them but all Layla could focus on was getting the hell away from the damn flesh-eaters. She sucked in a deep breath and used the most out of her adrenaline by pumping her legs harder and entering the prison. Only then did she stop and turn to watch as Rick came in last and the gate was shut quickly.

"Who is she?" The voice came from a young boy, no older than 10 and by the looks of it, he had been the one to help them. 'But he's only a boy...'  
"Good question. It can wait till we get inside though, Carl." Rick patted the boy on the shoulder and motioned for her and the others to follow him inside. She could feel the glare from Daryl on the back of her head but her stubbornness kept her from lowering her head. Once inside the prison, she was lead to a small area that was just outside a cell block. She could hear talking and sounds of laughter from the cell block and it made her smile to herself.

"Why don't you take a seat and just tell us a bit about yourself?" Though Rick had obviously tried to cover the demand by using a questioning tone, Layla knew a demand when she heard it. She took a seat on a chair and looked at the four of them, small boy included.

"I'm Layla. There's not much to tell ye other than I had found yer prison on accident after me da and the group I was with was attacked by those flesh-eaters. I don't know what ye are lookin' for from answers from me. I was visitin' family here in the States with my da when this shit happened/" Layla pushed a strand of red hair from her face and sighed. "Not that it matters now. I don't mean ye any harm. I'm just getting' tired of doing this by meself..."

**Authors Note**: _Thanks to everyone following this and enjoying it! I appreciate it more than words can say. This chapter was kinda lame, but I'm a bit tired from finals so forgive me. 3_


	4. Chapter 4- All Questions, Little Answers

**Authors Note:**_ Since you all know that Layla has an Irish accent, I'm going to make her sound normal with the exceptions of some of the turn of phrases, what things are called, etc. Hope you enjoy! :D_

Daryl hadn't expected the words to come from the girls mouth. For such a firecracker, it was odd to see the look of loneliness in her eyes. 'Hell, everyone's feelin' a bit lonely.' He watched her with a blank face though he processing what she had said. She had been part of a group that had been attacked. It still wasn't very much information to go off of.

"Were you part of a group?" Carl piped up, apparently not feeling a threat from her anymore. His look was more curious than hostile.

"Aye. I was. But a group of those nasty bastards tore us apart quite literally. Most of us were separated but my da and I were able to get out. Found out he had been bitten and was hiding it. One day he said he was off to get wood and after a while I heard a gunshot and went out to find him. He shot himself in the head it seemed." The woman looked off to the left somewhere so not to focus on anyone and Daryl lifted his gaze to Rick. Rick gave a nod and Daryl moved toward the locked prison gate to go get Hershel and the others.

"C'mon Carl. Let's go get Hershel." Carl followed him away from Glenn, Rick, and Layla waiting until they were out of earshot to fire away his questions. Daryl didn't pay much attention to them since the majority of them were rhetorical and answering himself though there was one question that was brought to his attention.

"What do we do about her? Do we keep her or throw her out?" It was a quiet question, one that Daryl should have seen coming from the boy. He stopped and looked at Carl to observe him. He could read the conflict within him and it pained him to see it, though he wouldn't admit it.

"Well, I guess that's up to everyone, huh? What do ya wanna do, Carl? Your opinion matters too, ya know." Daryl knew that they were words that Carl wanted to hear and he had meant every word of it. The boy was growing up fast for his age and was being forced to deal with conflict that would be hard for him to resolve by himself. Though it was needed to survive during this time but he didn't have to do it all on his own.

"I think... I think I want her to stay here, ya know? It seems wrong to throw her back out there with the walkers. We've had to kill a bunch of people but I don't wanna do it again." Carl pulled the sheriffs hat off of his head and ran his fingers through his hair with frustration. It was a gesture much like the one Daryl had seen on Rick several times.

"Well, if ya really feel that way then it'd be good to say it. C'mon, we gotta get a move on." Daryl clapped Carl on his back then walked with him to the cells that Carol, Maggie, Beth, Little Asskicker, Oscar, Axel, and Hershel were staying in.

"You guys are back. What happened?" Carol's voice came from a corner and Carl nodded his reply.

"They found a lady out there. Her name is Layla and she's from Scotland or somethin'." Carl looked around for something then found it once he looked at Beth. She was holding Little Asskicker and smiling at them.

"Scotland? Sure it's not fake?" Oscar looked at Daryl with a tilt of his head before crossing his arms.

"If it's fake, she's good at fakin' it." Daryl shrugged and set his crossbow down over by his belongings attempting to be unimpressed. Though, he was also curious to see what everyone wanted to do about her. She had had an opportunity to take them down or put them in jeopardy but hadn't done so, which was a good start for her to get in everyone's favor.

"Can we meet her too before anyone makes any decisions?" Daryl lifted his head at Carol's question and shrugged.

"You'll have to talk to Rick about it." He stretched and began to walk back towards the room Rick, Glenn, and Layla were in, closely followed by the others. Carl walked ahead to open the cell again and Rick looked up with a slight frown. The girl was now laying on the floor with a blanket over her and Daryl gave Rick a curious look.

"She passed out. Don't know what happened to be honest. Hershel? Could ya help her out?"

"I can take a look." Hershel moved forward on his crutches then slid down to a chair next to her. He took a few moments to just look her over and let out a sigh. "Just by lookin' at her it looks like it's just exhaustion and probably dehydration. Lack of food as well." Hershel sat there for a moment then looked at Rick carefully. "I need to take a look at her when she's awake to know for sure what is going on. Until then, having water for her and keeping her warm is a good idea." Rick nodded and looked at Daryl questioningly. 'Does she stay in here or does she get a cell?' Daryl shook his head. He didn't want to endanger their family any more than they need to, especially since they were finally settling in.

"All right, let's just get her another blanket or two, have some food and something to drink ready and go from there. Oscar, you keep an eye on her tonight to make sure nothin' happens to her or us."

**Side note:******_I will not be able to post nearly as much during our winter break, maybe once a week. :[ If that's the case, it may be a couple of chapters at a time, so it gives you a bit more to read! Anywho, please don't be afraid to review. Thanks to everyone who has followed and favorited this. It means a lot to me. 3_


	5. Chapter 5- Story Time

Layla hadn't meant to pass out. But as soon as she had sat down in the chair and was warm enough, the feeling of safety had been enough to push her to that point. It couldn't have been more than five minutes and she had promptly passed out. What roused her from her sleep however, was the sound of water dripping. She slowly opened her eyes and pushed the wild mess of red hair from her face to investigate where it was coming from. It was dark and the only sound other than the dripping was coming from soft snores and footsteps echoing through the prison block she had been cut off from. 'Guard duty.' She pulled the uncomfortable blanket around her and shivered from the cold stone, then looked around the room. Though she could only see so much, she could hear the dripping water coming from the corner.

"You a'ight in there?" Layla nearly jumped at the low rumble of a voice coming from the barred gate. She hadn't heard the footsteps approach.

"I'm fine, thank you. Is it raining?" Her voice was slightly scratchy but she talked through it anyway. Sleep often did that to her. She stood and moved toward the window to see if there was a storm.

"Yeah, it's rainin' pretty good out there." Layla couldn't see him very well and decided to change directions. She moved to sit in the chair with the blanket around her.

"I'm Oscar. We haven't actually met yet, huh?" She smiled slightly once she could see the male in full view. He was wearing a prison jumpsuit, though it wasn't the typical orange. He was tall and built much like a giant teddy bear.

"We have not. I'm Layla, it's good to meet you." She smiled and nodded her head to him.

"So, you really are from a different country. I wasn't sure that it was true or if they were just hearin' things wrong." He laughed softly and she smiled.

"I am from a different country. Though, being around you American's is starting to change the way I talk. Before I met you lot, I was with my da and some other American's. It was very interesting." She laughed and leaned back in her chair with a soft smile.

"So, you came from a different group? What happened? I mean, if ya don't mind me asking..." Oscar seemed to hesitate at the last and she shook her head.

"No problem. We were in the middle of nowhere, looking for a place to sleep or find food. We came across a few houses but all of 'em were empty. We weren't sure if it was worth trying to stay in one of them since we were so low on ammo. We finally decided on trying it out this little shack. It was all fine and dandy for a few hours when we heard all this groaning and then a scream. The lady that had been on guard duty had been attacked by a hell ton of the damn flesh eaters. We tried to hunker down but they found us anyway. Most of us were separated from one another. My da and I got away but we could hear the screaming and it was... Awful. We kept running and running but finally my da collapsed about a good 20 miles from here. I tried to get him up but he couldn't do it, he had a heart attack. We tried and we heard them coming and he shot himself in the head before I could manage to do anything about it..." She let out a soft sigh, looking down at the ground. "That was the day I learned to climb the trees. I climbed to the top of one of the trees and decided to take a leap of faith. It was terrifying but I learned how to do it."

"Sounds like you had it rough, kid." Oscar had sat down sometime during her talking, but she hadn't noticed. She had been too wrapped up in her thoughts and memories.

"It was hard, but we've all had it really rough lately, right? I'm sure that everyone here has seen death and some horrible things as well. I can't be the only one." She laughed hollowly then sighed.

"Yeah, that's true. It's not easy anymore. We all have it really hard. But yours is recent too." Layla sat up as she heard a low roll of thunder, then smiled.

"I know that you lot have been through a lot, but do you think I stand any sort of chance?" Her voice had dropped to a whisper and she couldn't manage to speak any louder. She was nervous and slightly scared, though she wouldn't have admitted that to anyone else.

"I don't really know, kid. Some of us are weary and some are scared. To me, you're just another hand in helping, but also another person to feed. But I would be a hypocrite if I wanted you gone." Oscar chuckled then stood.

"Thank you." It was the answer she needed to hear, perhaps not wanted to hear, but needed to.

"Get some rest, looks like ya might have a long day tomorrow."

**Authors Note: **_Sorry that was short but drawn out. I think the backstory was needed and it will become more detailed through future chapters. Thank you to everyone who has given reviews, it means a lot to me. 3 I will try and keep updated at least twice a week through winter break, but no guarantees. I'll try though!_


	6. Chapter 6- Sneaky

Daryl couldn't sleep. The rain usually helped him to sleep, it always had the few times he had run from home, gone hunting, or listened to it instead of his parents. He turned over onto his side and ran a hand through his hair out of irritation. He could hear talking and it took him a moment to recognize Oscar's voice and the accent from the new girl. He listened intently though he wasn't sure why. He just had a feeling that he should. The story she told was one much like many people that had gone through this hell, but this time it was different.

'No, seriously. This time it is different.' He sat up on his bed to focus on her words. 'She told us that he had gone to get firewood and found him shot in the head. What the hell is she hidin'?' He shook his head, uncertain of what to do next. He chewed on his nails as he thought it over. He had two choices; he could talk to Rick about it or he could confront her about it with an open opportunity. He didn't want to endanger his friends if she was dangerous and he knew Rick would throw her out on her ass if Daryl came to him and explained what he had heard.

"Shit." Daryl muttered under his breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. It wasn't long until it went quiet again with only the sound of rain and thunder and he could safely guess that she had gone to sleep. He stood and began to pace the cell he had chosen for a room as he debated with himself.  
'Man, what the hell is wrong with you? Do what you normally do and let Rick know so no one gets hurt!' He let out a frustrated grunt at his thoughts then leaned against the bunk bed. 'No, just keep the knowledge and see what happens. We could take her on of we have to... Black mail. Keep it for information and ask her about it later. See if she was lying about one or both of the stories.' He continued to pace around the cell, continuing the argument in his head until the sound of someone rustling around stopped him. He leaned his head out of his cell and saw Beth sneaking out of hers. Daryl frowned and watched her as she attempted to sneak over Oscar, who had fallen asleep in the corner with a gun in hand, then stopped as if to look for something. Daryl raised a brow and slipped out of his cell to follow her with genuine interest. Beth was usually the good girl who meant well and watched Little Asskicker with Carol, he hadn't expected her to be sneaking around.

"Gosh darn it! Where is it?" The girl muttered to herself and Daryl shook his head.

"Yo, Beth. What're ya lookin' for?" He asked quietly and watched as she jumped and pulled out a knife. "Are ya gonna plan on usin' it or just stand there?" He hinted at the slightest bit of humor before watching her drop the knife with wide eyes.

"I swear I wasn't hurtin' no one, I was just... I wanted to..." She stopped and let out a quiet sigh.

"Well, spit it out why don't ya?" Daryl relaxed and leaned against the gate that separated the cell block and Layla.

"I wanted to talk with her too. No one here listens." She mumbled and Daryl frowned.

"What do ya mean no one listens? We care about ya, Beth. Don't think that we don't. What makes ya think some stranger will care?" The words were a bit tactless but Daryl didn't care. He was confused on how this girl could possibly think something different.

"I didn't mean that! I meant that everyone just jumps ahead and gives advice but no one will listen..." She sighed and started to walk away with her head down. "Never mind. Goodnight." Daryl watched her walk away with an incredulous look on his face. He had no idea what to think about this situation and was confused about how to handle it.

"Women..."

"You could have been a bit more careful with your words. She may have explained." Daryl raised a brow and looked at where Layla was laying.

"This comin' from a liar."

**Authors Note:******_I debated with myself for a while on which way Daryl was going to go on catching Layla's lie, and I think I've figured it out. Props to VoodointheTARDIS for catching it in the first place. I knew there was a reason we're good friends. ;D Anywho, reviews would be awesome, expect another chapter sometime before Thursday, I hope~ :D_


	7. Chapter 7- Liar

"From... From a liar? What are you even talking about?" Layla looked at the shadowy figure leaning on the gate with surprise. She had started falling asleep when the noise from the girl and Daryl had roused her once again. And now she was being called a liar from him. He looked so nonchalant that she almost found it irritating.

"You know what I'm talkin' bout." He sounded amused and all she could do was sit there and try to piece it together.

"I haven't lied to you about anything." Layla ran her fingers through her hair and thought back on everything she had said to him. After looking back on her conversation, she felt a sinking feel in her stomach. "I... I don't know what you're talking about." She managed to gasp out. She did, in fact, know what he was talking about though.

"So, why did ya lie about your dad? What is there to hide 'bout that?" Daryl had leaned a little closer to the bars and all she could do was sit there and stare at him.

"I am tired and I don't want to talk about it. Let me bloody sleep." Layla tried to hide the worry in her tone but she knew it was obvious. Her emotions always betrayed her and she hated it. No matter how hard she tried it always turned out that way.

"Well, it don't matter much to me. It will matter to Rick when I-"

"No! No please don't tell them I lied." She grimaced at herself. She was pleading with him not to say a word. She never did that.

"So then, tell me why or I might just change my mind and go speak with the others." Layla looked at Daryl as he spoke. Although the only light came from far away flashes of lightening, she could tell he was amused and was going to hold this against her if she staid. It would make great blackmail.

"... I didn't mean to seem like a liar, but the story I told your group was a lie. What I told Oscar was the truth. He was just so easy to tell the truth with. But I lied because it was more personal to tell the truth. I don't know any of you so why would I tell you something so personal so quickly?" Layla was surprised to find herself practically whispering the truth. She hadn't wanted any of them to get close, she just wanted people to be around. Company. She wasn't sure why her fathers death was so personal, all of them had been through it at one point, but it was.

"So lyin' about your father was worth riskin' getttin' kicked out on your ass and dealin' with Walkers on your own? Man, you women make no sense at all." There was a tone of relief that Layla heard in Daryl's voice but she wanted to believe that he believed her. She hoped for it, actually.

"It was to me. My da was the only rock I had and the last... The last thing that was good. Admitting what happened out loud was just reassuring that the only good thing I had was gone." Layla sighed and put her head in her hands. Speaking the truth was getting harder and harder for her. Daryl was quiet and she only assumed he was judging the hell out of her at the moment. She was aggravated by the thought of him judging her over a lie so small, even though she couldn't really blame him.  
"I won't tell the others. But just so ya know, if I ever think you could be lyin' to us again, I will tell Rick.

Now get some sleep." Layla watched the shadow of him walk away and shook her head. It was perfect black mail. She hated it.

-  
Daryl headed back to his cell with a roll of his eyes. Of course the stupid girl was only protecting herself emotionally. Isn't that what they always fucking did? 'Damn women. I will never understand ya and I'll never try.' On some level he was glad that he was so awkward about women. The only one he had ever allowed to get close was Carol and they were just good friends. Andrea had been amusing to tease, but Carol was different. She was someone he genuinely enjoyed to be around even if they were in silence. Though, recently she had been pulling further away from him and doing her own thing. He assumed it was because she was becoming more independent and strong.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He tossed and turned for a couple of hours before he sighed and gave up. He was bothered by the whole Beth situation. He needed to tell Hershel about her sneaking around. Or Maggie. Which ever one he saw first in the morning. Resolving the last few issues on his mind, he was finally able to sink into sleep.

**Authors Note**_: Sorry for the random point of view change! I will start off in Daryl's point of view. This chapter was a little slow, sorry about that. D: _


	8. Chapter 8- Truth

It was the sound of groaning that woke Daryl the next morning. Normally he would be up just a bit after dawn but after a long night of pacing and not being able to sleep, he had slept in. 'Last time to do that, Daryl.' He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair before he stood to see what was going on. He walked out of his cell and looked around curiously to find the source. He was intrigued by the fact that Axel was in the corner with an angry Hershel standing above him. He had a guess on the reasoning and stepped forward to greet the pair.

"Everything okay, Hershel?" Daryl raised a brow as Hershel looked over at him, a crutch pressing Axel into the corner harshly.

"Everything is fine. We're done here, and all business is taken care of. Right, Axel?" Daryl hid a smile at the way Hershel said Axel. He may as well have said scum or something worse.

"R-right." The groaning reply from the man actually caused Daryl to smile and he looked toward the gate.

"Hey, where's everyone?" He felt a brief pang of worry as he couldn't hear anyone around and the woman was gone as well.

"They're out scanning the perimeter and tending the garden. Carol is feeding Judith." Hershel gave him a small smile and sat down in a nearby chair.

"Y'all going to be all right if I go out there?"

"We'll be fine." The answer came from Axel and Daryl nearly scoffed at the man. Instead, he nodded and went back to his cell to grab his crossbow and paused for a brief moment. 'Should I tell the old man? No. Not with the other around.' He sighed and headed out with a nod to Hershel. He actually wanted to see how the small garden was doing since they hard started it a couple of weeks ago. Their main concern was the soil being bad due to the walkers that had laid on the ground rotting after being shot, or the ones that had been killed. As he left the cell block and made his way outside he allowed himself a brief moment of enjoyment of the rain. It was still raining but not nearly as much as it had been during the late night and early morning hours.

"Daryl, come look at the plants!" Daryl turned his gaze on to Carl who was waving him over towards the small patch of ground they had declared to be the least likely to have had walker on it. He walked over and knelt down on the soggy ground to take a closer look at the small squash that was growing.

"Lookin' pretty good, huh?" He stood once again and ruffled Carl's hair before walking towards Rick. The bright hair from the woman caught his attention for a moment and he stopped to watch Rick and Layla walk the perimeter.

"Daryl! Why don't you join us?" Rick motioned for him to come over to them. He nodded and walked to the two of them. Layla gave him an odd look then looked away guiltily. Rick gave Daryl an amused smile and motioned toward Layla. "She told me about her little white lie. She figured that it would be better if she said it and got it out in the open than not letting anyone know. I understood her reasoning and assured her if she ever lied like that again and was caught, she would be thrown to the walkers." Daryl frowned and nearly stopped walking. He looked over at the girl and narrowed his eyes. The stupid woman had managed to outsmart him in his own game. He just shook his head and continued to walk however. He would have a conversation with her later.

"Sorry, Daryl. I figured I should let him know so no one would feel betrayed later. It wouldn't be fair to anyone..."

"Whatever."

**Authors Note: **_Sorry! This one was a little rushed since I've been busy dealing with the snow and family! Next one should be out in a few days. :]_


	9. Chapter 9-Business

Layla knew Daryl was angry. She knew that fixing her mistake may have caused her an enemy, but all she could do was hope that it didn't bite her in the ass. Rick looked at Layla and gave her a nod before leading them around the perimeter.

"We need to get more supplies soon. It's getting closer to winter and I believe it's going to be a nasty one. Glenn and Maggie can go but I was thinking Layla could join. While I know that none of us trust her, this could be a good idea to get that trust, huh?" Rick spoke directly to Daryl as if Layla wasn't there but Layla didn't mind. Again, she understood their position even if it did suck. And hurt.

"I guess, but don't you think one of us should go too just in case she does pull somethin'?" Daryl shifted his crossbow on his shoulder as if showing her that he would shoot her quickly if she so much put one toe out of line. She almost rolled her eyes at the subtle threat, instead she looked out at the couple of flesh-eaters that were at the fence and groaning. According to Rick, the 'Walkers' had been slowing down and were becoming fewer and further between. He had told her his theory had been that the thunder was a distraction, that they would follow the lightening and thunder since it was sound and light. It could mean bad news for them, however, if the lightening began striking at the prison. While it was a good theory, she hoped it was something else that was keeping them away.

"Yeah, someone should go with. I think I will on this one. I'm worried about Axel, he's been actin' a little weird and I know that you can take care of it if I'm gone. And Judith likes you." Rick grinned and Layla tilted her head curiously.

"Little Asskicker? Nah, she just likes that I call her by a badass name and not some sissy-"

"Carl's coming." Rick cut him off while Layla watched the boy come running over to them. Their whole group felt like a family and it was a welcoming feeling. Even though she wasn't trusted or accepted by several, just being in their presence made her feel a bit better about the whole ordeal. It had seemed that most of them had been together for a long time, since the whole thing started. She had only started out with her father, and the last winter had been the hardest on them.

"Dad, we need more formula and food." Carl looked at his father with eyes that belonged on someone much older than the boy. It was startling to see someone so young have to grow up so quickly. Layla was almost grateful that she had missed the circumstances that had caused him to become an adult in a child's body.

"Yeah, we're workin' on that."

"I want to go with. I can handle myself and another set of eyes couldn't hurt." Carl cut straight to the point and Layla inwardly flinched. He had obviously gone through so much, throwing him into danger once again wouldn't be that good of an idea.

"Let me think on it. We could use the help, but I don't wanna leave your sister here on her own. That wouldn't be very fair to her." Rick leaned down to ruffle the boys hair and Layla watched the emotions that played across Carl's face. She bit her lip and began to walk away, not wanting to witness the conversation. It wasn't any of her business.

"Where do you think you're goin?" Daryl sprinted after her and she shrugged.

"Away from their conversation. My da once told me if I was comfortable doing something, then I shouldn't do it. Most of the time I go against that, but that was none of my business."

"You're dad sounds like he was a smart guy. Too bad he's gone." Layla looked at Daryl sharply as he said his words. Normally she would take the bait but not this time. Instead, she shrugged and continued walking. It was none of his business either.

**Authors Note: **_Once again, that was a bit short. ^^ But thank you for my followers and a very big thank you to all the reviewers. 3 Thank you so much. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday's, all of that snazzy stuff~ ^_^_


	10. Chapter 10- Stressed

Daryl watched the woman and nearly rolled his eyes. Of course it would be a foreigner to get righteous about a conversation between a child and a man. Rick and Carl had had these conversations before in front of everyone, why it made a difference now, he didn't understand.

"They talk like that all the time. You weren't intrudin'." He made the suggestion and expected her to argue with him but she didn't. She just continued walking towards the entrance of the prison without a word.

"Hey, I was talkin' to you!" Daryl wanted to pretend he didn't care that she was ignoring him but it was beginning to bother him that she was acting high and mighty.

"Daryl, what do you want me to say? I know you don't trust me. I know you all do things different here than what I'm used to, and I know that I'm not welcome. What else could you possibly want me to say? Or better yet, what could you possibly want to say to me that's not one of those three things?" The woman had stopped and turned towards him with a look that reminded him much like his mother when she had actually given a damn about something. He stopped behind her and almost shrank away from the verbal attack. She looked at him for a moment and he watched as her expression changed between anger, to horror, and then softened. "I... I apologize, Daryl. I did not mean to sound so harsh, I just had a hard time sleeping and I am stressed. It's no excuse to lash out at you, and I'm sorry." Layla's words barely registered in his head before she rushed into the prison and he could say anything else. The first feeling he felt after the initial surprise was anger.

"Stupid woman! Who is she to scold me when she's the liar?" The words were mumbled and he didn't hear Carol approach him. She rested a hand on his shoulder and he nearly responded by throwing her over his shoulder. She didn't flinch from him and only stared at him with a smile.

"She's scared and hurt, just like us all. Give her a little slack, Daryl." She dropped her hand and watched him with a continued smile.

"So?" He was irritated that his friend would give the other woman an excuse to be rude. Particularly since said friend hadn't talk to him and had been avoiding him for a while. She didn't look taken aback by his harshness, just shook her head and motioned for him to follow her inside.

"So, she hasn't gotten over her loss yet. You've accepted Merle's gone just like I've accepted Sophia's gone. And Rick is almost over Lori. She's not over her's yet." Daryl regarded her with slightly narrowed eyes as he followed her inside and out of the light drizzle. Though somewhere it registered that Carol was in fact, right, he didn't give a damn. For some reason the other woman irritated him more than he was willing to admit.

"So? That didn't mean we lied about it or nothin'. Besides, we ain't gotta trust her. So why is it that no one sees what a threat she could be? She watched us and stalked us for a long time before we even got out there to get her. She was in the trees like damned monkey and we didn't even know it till she fell. Why doesn't anyone see any of this?" He threw his hands down in irritation as Carol looked at him with that... _look_. Like she was amused with his burst of rage, and though the firecracker bothered him and put him on edge, he was genuinely worried for his friends. His new family.

"That's why we haven't let her into the actual cell block, Daryl. We don't know if we should trust her. She may have gone inside but Rick has had everyone watching her like a hawk. Before she got up this morning he talked to us and told us no matter how tired we are of killing things and trying to keep out of danger of others, we still have to with her. We are all weary but we're still willing to try. She's by herself out there, and there has been no signs of her being with anyone else, right? So we'll keep her close but distant." Carol smiled as they rounded a corner and said woman was sitting in a chair with a book.

"We're in the middle of a damn apocalypse and you brought a _book_?" Daryl wasn't sure if he was baffled or irritated. He had never been one for reading much other than murder mysteries and he'd never had the time with Merle around. Had Merle ever found him reading a book, he'd been sure his ass would have been kicked.

"We have to have some kind of release from hell, hmm?" Layla continued to read and ignored his presence while Carol chuckled softly.

"Crazy ass Scot. Where's little Asskicker?" Daryl had nearly forgotten that Carol had had the baby until he spied Hershel in the cell block watching them with amusement.

"Maggie has her now. She took her after I finished feeding her." Carol shrugged and looked at Hershel as he made his way to the bars and unlocked them for her to enter. Daryl hesitated for a moment but decided to go in. He needed to find Maggie. Hershel would most likely respond too harshly about Beth and as he looked back at the firecracker, she merely smiled down at her book.

**Authors Note****_: _**_Oh boy, that was much later than I wanted it to be! Sorry! D: I hope everyone's holidays were wonderful and that this chapter was better than I think it is. -_- I am trying to get a bit of free and emotional stuff hashed out before shit goes down hill! :] A huge thanks to FanFicGirl10 for always giving feedback. You're awesome! :D_


	11. Chapter 11- Trust

Layla tried to hide her smug smile by looking into her book, but she was sure he saw it anyway. It didn't take long until she was emerged into her book of Valkyries, ancient tombs, and demons. She had read the book more than a dozen times but it continued to be her favorite book. When she had gone to leave her homeland for America she had hesitated for a brief moment before giving into a sentimental moment and grabbing the book. It had been one of her mothers favorites as well. The world filled with different beings of all different cultures and powers had been incredibly appealing to her, people who were immortal living with humans. Before the flesh-eaters had happened she had enjoyed reading all types of different paranormal and supernatural, even ones about zombies. There had been speculation from many people who had believed that a zombie apocalypse could happen and even though she had loved to kill zombies in games and found amusement in the worlds obsession with them, she could have never expected that they would actually happen. Not many people had.

"Is that a good book?" The question had come from the girl from last night. The one that Daryl had startled and scared off.

"It's very good. I'm almost finished, would you like to read it?" Layla set the book down and gave the girl a soft smile.

"I... I suppose I would like to read it." The girl smiled as well and dropped into a seat next to her. She looked timid to be sitting there, like she would be yelled at or reprimanded. Layla almost raised her brow but managed to stop herself.

"It's very good. In fact, I've read it so many times that you can take it now if you want. Here." Layla closed the book and handed to her. The girl took it and then gave her a brighter smile than before.

"My dad would kill me if he saw what I am going to read." They both laughed and Layla sat up in her chair to observe her.

"It's good to be a little rebellious sometimes. Just as long as you don't do something that could kill you. With the... Walkers, life can be a bit rough. But reading a paranormal romance is a good thing to rebel with." Layla grinned and the girl grinned back just as brightly. "I'm Layla. I think you, your sister, the baby, and the older guy are the only ones I have yet to meet." She extended her hand and realized how grimy and dirty it looked in comparison to the other girl. She hadn't taken a bath in a few days, her last time she had was in a river not far from the prison. The girl didn't seem to mind though and carefully shook her hand.

"I'm Beth. Maggie is my sister, and I'm not really sure where she went but I'm sure you'll meet her soon." Beth dropped her hand and then seemed to observe her as well. Layla almost laughed at how the girl seemed to open up fairly quickly to her. "I don't mean to be rude, but would you like for me to talk them into letting you take a shower?" Beth's face pulled into a frown and Layla almost laughed at her thoughtful question.

"Aye, I would like that very much. Thank you, Beth." Layla looked over as she saw a short, dark haired woman coming towards the two of them. If looks could kill, Layla was sure that Beth and her would be dead.

"Beth. Come here. We have to talk." Layla assumed that this was Maggie but the woman's attention was focused on her sister. Layla merely looked away so not to seem as part of their business though she caught Beth shrinking down in her own chair.

"No, I'm havin' a conversation with someone who doesn't treat me like I'm stupid." Layla was surprised by Beth's admission to her sister and tried to look anywhere but Maggie and Beth. Maggie didn't take her sisters words well and gave Layla a pointed glare.

"If you put her up to this-"

"I had nothing to do with this. Your sister has been speaking with me for about five minutes at the most." Layla put her hands up, a gesture of giving up and not being offensive. Maggie seemed to believe her and turned her glare upon her sister again.

"We need to talk. Now." Beth sighed and stood from her chair before giving Layla a small smile.

"I'll see you later. It was nice talking with you and thank you for the book." Beth hugged the book to her and went to the barred gate and entered with a sigh. As soon as they believe they were out of ear shot, Maggie began whispering furiously at her sister. Beth walked with her and as they went further away the more the girl seemed to look defeated. Layla frowned and looked down at her grimy hands and figured that Beth would be with Maggie for a while before she talked to the others about a shower. Deciding to take matters in her own hands, she headed back outside to see where Rick was. As she reached the outside air she took a deep breath. The air was filled with the feeling of electricity and it was raining steadily now, thunder rolling from further away.

"We're just going inside, Layla." This came from the man she had been looking for and she almost jumped. She had been too enthralled by the storm to have heard him come closer to her, Carl following not far behind.

"O-oh. Okay. Rick, does the prison have showers?" She hadn't intended for the question to be weak but it had come out as such. She almost rolled her eyes at herself. Her family, or clan as her father and grandfather had often called it, had lived in brutal areas of Scotland. Her brothers had all grown up and had pushed her around like brothers did. They had treated her like another brother but often over protected her whenever they were around boys her age. How they would laugh at her now.

"Yep, there are. I guess you wanna take one?" He chuckled and led her back inside. He opened the barred gate and held it open. Carl went in first, then Rick motioned for her to follow. She stopped and stared at him for a moment and he must have realized what was wrong.

"I can't promise you that you'll get a cell but you will get a shower." She nodded and hurried to her small pack she had had on her when she had entered the prison. She pulled out the clean pair of clothes she had washed when she had been at the river last. She held them in her hand and entered the actual cell block.

"I'll have someone get a towel and a bar of soap for you. Carl, would you escort her to the showers?" Rick walked away and Layla smiled at Carl as he nodded to her. As they moved through the cell block they got a curious look from Carol, a strange look from Oscar, and then a scowl from Daryl. Once they were out of ear shot and a Layla spotted the showers, she felt a brief moment of relief.

"I really hope that we all come to agreement and you can stay." Carl had stopped and stared at her a moment with a look that belonged on an adult, not a boy.

"Thank you... I hope so too." Her voice was soft and she looked at the showers longingly.

"I'll go make sure they're getting' your stuff." Carl turned away and left Layla by herself to wait. She moved toward the showers which were separated by a wall with an entrance without a door. The showers were on round with three shower heads on them. There were several spread around the room and Layla picked the one furthest from the entrance with better hopes of privacy. She knew they would put a guard on her. She began to undress and smiled slightly at the clean room.

"Here's your stuff." She turned abruptly to the voice and stared pointedly at Daryl, a flush on her face.

**Authors Note: **_Yay! A chapter that is pretty long! Woot! :D Also, assuming they have showers in the prison (because I don't know if it was said or not, but I guess we can play along, eh?) I figured that it'd be good to have her get clean before they go do the run. I know the likeliness of them having the showers running (unless they have the generators going) is very small but I felt like I needed to chance it to get a bit more development going. :] _


	12. Chapter 12- He Ain't Dead

**Authors Note: **_Sorry it took so long to update! I realize I've been beating around the bush with things and I actually am like, four chapters a head, just haven't had the time to edit and/or upload! So I apologize! Enjoy! ^_^ ALSO! I added two chapters together to make up for the lack of chapters. I apologize, again. /3_

As soon as Daryl had seen Carl lead the firecracker toward the showers, he had jumped on the opportunity to bother her. He had watched as Maggie started carrying a bar of soap, a towel, and what looked like shampoo, then hurried down toward her.

"Hey, Maggie, I can take that for ya." She had turned towards him and looked at him with a grin and a brow raised, then handed them to him.

"That means you get to play guard too. Rick's orders." She shrugged and walked away as he shook his head. He turned and walked toward the showers as he thought over a way to get to her. He assumed she wouldn't appreciate that he would be able to look at her while she showered, and though he wasn't a saint, he wasn't a jerk either.

"Here's your stuff." Daryl had entered the shower room and nearly dropped the shower supplies. She had already begun undressing and was clutching her shirt to herself as she turned toward him. She stared at him as if offended and blushed brightly. He set the shower supplies down and turned away to go stand guard with his back to the showers.

"Why were you sent to bring me the shower stuff?" She was obviously angry and he almost smiled from it.

"Because. I felt like it. Are you going to take your shower or what?" He leaned against the wall and listened as the water turned on. Honestly, he didn't know why he had wanted to do it. Probably because he wanted revenge on her being an ass. Bothering her was one of the ways he could do that.

"I hope you know that you aren't bothering me by being here." Her voiced echoed and he nearly turned around to glare at her. Nearly.

"I don't really care." He was lying through his teeth. He had done this just to bother her and he was irritated that it wasn't bothering her at all. She could be lying, however, just as he had just done. "Why did you come to the States in the first place?" He couldn't help but let the question slip out. It had bothered him for a long while. For one, she probably had more chance of surviving in Scotland than in the United States.

"I came here with my father for family reasons." The shower room was slightly warmer now since the shower had turned on. It wasn't hot water, Daryl knew this from experience, but it was lukewarm. Better than freezing cold though.

"But you're a Scot. Why would you have family here?" He heard a sigh and it began to smell flowery. Daryl wrinkled his nose and rolled his eyes again.

"Not everyone stays in one place at one time, Daryl. My brother Travis lives... Lived here in the States." Her hesitation made him curious about her brother. Was he still alive? Or was she not sure? Did Daryl really care?

"Gotcha." He said nothing else, just listened to the water as it ran. He was still suspicious of the firecracker, but he understood her pain. He hadn't believed Merle was gone either until a couple of months ago. He had finally realized he would most likely never see Merle again and although it had been painful, he'd gotten over it. Everyone in their group had lost people they cared for the most, but it was only something to make them fight and live longer. He heard the water turn off and wet footsteps walk around but he ignored it. He wouldn't turn around until she was dry and dressed, not just assuming when she was. Though Daryl had found women annoying, he'd also never admit to being slightly terrified of them as well. He'd never had an experience with women like most had, he'd been too busy chasing Merle around. He could fake it, almost any guy could pretend that they'd fucked just about every girl in the world, but it was a lie. He didn't know how to talk to them, how to treat them. To Merle, they'd just been weak and pretty much possessions that he used and then got tired of. Daryl had known to respect them and know they were much more than that, but he'd still never learned how to deal with them. The only woman he'd let in close so far was Carol. The other women were like little sisters that he never talked to, but Carol was one of his good friends just like Rick. He was careful with what he said around her now, before he'd just said and treated her in default mode. He'd insulted and hurt her, but she still stood strong. It had gained his respect and made him slightly regret it now.

"Are you all right?" Layla's voice behind him came as unexpected and he turned quickly to look at her. Her red hair was wet and clinging to her face and her clean clothes and her green eyes looked worried.

"Fine." His voice had come out gruffly and he looked over her carefully. He was surprised to realize how tall she was up close. He hadn't noticed it before, but she was only an inch or two shorter than he was.

"C'mon." He started walking and heard her mumble something under her breath and almost called her out on it but stopped herself.

"Well, you look all fresh and sparkly." Layla grinned at Carol as they walked towards the barred gate and nodded her head.

"Why, thank ya ma'am." Her words brought a slight smile to Daryl's face and he hid with a yawn. He led her out of the cell block and into the room they had been keeping her in. She set her wet clothes down that he hadn't realize she had washed, then looked at him curiously.

"Do you have a place this can air out?" She surprised him with a smile and he frowned at her.

"Sure do. Why so happy?" Again, the words slipped from his mouth before he could stop them. He almost sighed in annoyance with his lack of holding back. But instead of getting angry like she had before, she shrugged and smiled again,

"I am clean and I'm safe." She turned to her small bag and pulled out a ninety-nine cent bag of cashews and teared them open with her teeth as Maggie came to the gate.

"Hey Daryl, can I get some one on one time with out prisoner?" Daryl was bemused by Maggie's teasing and nodded, heading to go outside. He needed a break.

**ONWARD:**

Layla tensed at Maggie's words but relaxed as she realized she was just joking. Daryl left without a word and Layla turned to Maggie with a slightly weary look. The other woman watched her carefully before opening the gate and then shutting it behind her.

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you earlier. It wasn't fair to just take my anger out on you." She sat down in a chair and Layla regarded her with slight amusement.

"It's all right. Beth is your sister, it's hard not to be protective over her." Layla continued to stand as Maggie relaxed in the chair she was sitting her, observing Layla much like Beth had done.

"Yeah, I guess. You know, I was thinking about whether we should have you here or not. Honestly, I'm still not sure. But many have taken a likin' to you and even though I don't mind ya, I'm still going to keep an eye on you. Don't go puttin' any ideas in Beth's head, either. She's too young to be goin' out on runs." Maggie's warning only gave Layla cause to frown.

"But Carl isn't too young?" The words were quiet and she knew she was overstepping boundaries. She didn't really care though.

"That's different. I don't expect you to understand." Maggie stood and pointed to Layla's wet clothes.

"I'll take them to hang and dry if you want." Layla grabbed them and handed them to her.

"Thanks." Maggie nodded and headed back into the cell block and walked away, though Layla didn't pay attention. Carl was younger than Beth and had obviously done things that no boy should have ever gone through, but it didn't seem like Beth even knew how to defend herself. That was important and if they let Layla stay, she was determined to make sure Beth knew how to take care of herself. Sighing, she ate another handful of cashews and then stored it away in her bag. She didn't know if they would feed her and it was the late afternoon. Though her stomach was giving her pain from not eating more than two handfuls of cashews, but she wasn't going to risk it. It became quiet with some talking and the thunder getting louder as the storm came closer to them. She heard some mumbling and then the crying from Judith that made her heart ache for the poor child. It was hard losing a parent at any time, but for a baby to never know her mother made her heart ache more. It would be a hard stage in the future for the child and she hoped that the child would know about her from her family.

"Hey! Rick! Glenn spotted something!" Layla lifted her head and watched the older man that she had yet to meet come running towards them. Rick appeared from a cell and opened the gate with a run.

"Carl!" The gate was motioned to and the boy locked it. Deciding she didn't want to sit and wait to find out what was going on, Layla followed Rick to see what was happening. From a distance she could see two figures making their way slowly toward the prison.

"Do we shoot 'em?" This came from Daryl as he lifted his crossbow.

"No, it looks like they are helping each other. Don't look like Walkers to me." Rick ran forward through the rain and Layla jumped as lightening struck not far from the prison. He reached the fence and started to yell, though what was said was covered by wind and thunder. Layla looked at Daryl and he shrugged, lowering his crossbow to run to Rick and the two figures. Layla watched as there was a large amount of motioning and then the outer gates were opened by Glenn to let the two figures in. They hobbled forward and Layla turned to go retrieve Hershel.

"Hershel! Looks like the visitors may need some help!" She rounded the corner to watch as Carl unlocked the barred gate and let Hershel through. He stood next to Layla as the sounds of scuffling feet and talking came through the room and then two women came around followed by Rick, Daryl, and Glenn. One of the women had blonde hair and was of a medium build while the other woman, who seemed to be supporting the first one, was darker skinned and athletic.

"Andrea?" This came from Carl as the darker woman helped the blonde drop into a chair. Hershel made his way over to the women and Rick gave the darker woman a hard look.

"Who are you and how did you find us? How did you find Andrea?" Layla assumed that Andrea was the blonde one that had come with the other woman and watched the group. Everyone but Oscar and Axel seemed to recognize the blonde one and Maggie had instinctively put a hand on Beth's arm as if to protect her from the blonde.

"I found her in the woods and we teamed together. We've been together since before winter when you bunch left her." The words had come out like the woman was speaking through rocks. Her tone was angry and Layla almost stepped back in surprise by not just her tone, but her words. They had left the other woman?

"We had had no choice. We had all been separated. Had we known she was still alive-" Rick was caught off by the laughter of the blonde woman who raised a beaten and battered face toward him. Hershel moved forward and Daryl pulled up a seat for him to sit in and help Andrea out as Layla observed the emotions that were in the room. Confusion and anger being the two prominent ones.

"You wouldn't have come back. You thought I was dead just like we all thought Merle was. But surprise there buddy. He ain't dead." Daryl had stopped at her words and Layla watched as he seemed to react like he had been hit. It was the second time she had seen him react like that and she frowned. Daryl's face pulled into a deep frown and he clenched his fist.

"Merle's dead. I don't know what you're talkin' about woman, but you're wrong." Daryl glared and Andrea as she laughed again and started to slouch in her chair, obviously on the brink of passing out.

"She's right. He's part of a group of survivors that are at a place called Woodbury. It's ran by the the Governor." Everyone's gaze turned to the other woman except Hershel who was helping Andrea.

"Maggie, get me some water and bandages." Hershel's voice was quiet and Maggie turned from the group and went to retrieve said supplies.

"So, you're tellin' me that my brother is still alive? How can we trust you? Hell, how can we even trust Andrea?!" Daryl's face conveyed an anger and Layla shrunk back into the corner. She was worried that this was another conversation she had no business in, but there wasn't anywhere she could go.

"You don't have to trust me but I have no reason to lie. We heard them talkin' 'bout a prison so we made our way here." She looked up at them with narrowed eyes and she continued to stand even though it was obvious that she was just as exhausted.

"Layla, move your stuff into the cell block. I think we can all agree to keep you here." Layla looked at Rick with surprise and then nodded. "Just be warned that if you try anything funny, we'll kick you out." His words stung a bit but she understood. She had only been there for a day. She hurriedly grabbed her things and moved to the gate. Carl opened it and she went through as Maggie came closer with the medical supplies and the water.

"Carl, show her a cell. Put her between Daryl and me." Carl looked at Layla and motioned for her to follow him and she did. He looked slightly distraught and Layla almost touched his shoulder but didn't. He led her to the cell that was to be hers and she entered it and put her things down. Carl watched her and she gave him a weak smile.

"Are you all right, Carl?" Though she hadn't talked to him one on one, she figured it was time to at least speak with him. He nodded and she looked at the dark circles under his eyes worriedly. "You don't look it. You look like a man who hasn't had sleep in a while." Layla didn't want to call him a man but she knew it was the only way to figure out what was wrong. He was an adult-like child.

"I'm fine, just been havin' some bad dreams lately. I'm going to go help the others, if you need anything just come get one of us." He surprised her with a small smile and a tip of the hat before turned away and left. Layla sat down on the bed to take a moment to herself, shaking her head. Things were getting stranger and stranger by the moment.


	13. Chapter 13- Firecracker

Daryl didn't watch Layla leave, he was too confused and angry about the woman's words. They continued to ring through his head. There was no way Merle was still alive. Was there? Hershel continued to help Andrea and he glared at the other woman.

"Daryl, we need to let them get some rest and heal up. We can question them later after they've slept. I'll go take watch, Maggie, Glenn, why don't you both keep an eye on them. Daryl, you can come with me. Glenn, make sure their weapons are taken from them." Rick started to walk away but hesitated for a moment. "Before we go, why don't you tell us your name?" The question wasn't so much a question as a demand and Daryl kept his glare on her as she said nothing at first.

"Michonne." Rick nodded at her answer and started to head out. Daryl clenched his free hand in a fist and tightened his grip on his crossbow before he followed Rick out. They were quiet as they walked through the rain to the guard towers to take watch.

"Daryl, I don't know if she's right or not but if she is and Merle is alive that could be dangerous. I know you want your brother back, I at least owe that to you. But I'm not sure how we can get him out of there or if he will go with us and Daryl... We need you here." Ricks voice was quiet but strong and Daryl was slightly angry from his words.

"I know." He gritted the words out and followed him into the guard tower. Their shoes clicked as they both headed up the stairs and Daryl tried to keep calm. He knew Rick was asking him if he would go with Merle if Merle didn't want to leave or if he was going to stay with the group. It was a hard thing to answer because he honestly didn't know. He grasped his crossbow and knew he wouldn't sleep tonight because he was frustrated and stressed.

"Just think it over, Daryl." Daryl grunted his reply and moved to one side of the guard tower while Rick took watch of the other. Admittedly, a few months ago he had been willing to jump off a bridge to get Merle back, but these people were his new family. They respected him and treated him like family and though he knew Merle had his own way of loving Daryl, he was finally starting to feel at peace. He wasn't worried about his new family hurting him or doing stupid things like getting into drugs. At least not like he had with Merle, always trying to hide them or keep him from doing reckless things. He spotted a Walker walking past their prison but it didn't stop like most. Probably due to the rain wiping out the scent and making it difficult to see. He watched it lumber by until it was completely out of site then scrubbed a hand over his face. That was a habit he was beginning to do whenever he was stressed or thoughtful and he caught himself in the act with a sigh. He sat down in the chair that was set up and watched blankly for any activity of Walkers. There wasn't much hope for seeing them even if they came due to how bad the weather was, but it only made it more important to watch for Walkers. The fact that they couldn't hear it inside or see from inside made it hard to look for Walkers on a normal day, let alone on a day with storms. They were attracted to the light and noise from the storms, however, and a feeling of dread fell over Daryl. If lightening continued to strike too close it could cause the Walkers to come closer than he wanted them to. He looked up to watch for the lightening and sighed as he judged it to be about 20 miles away from them.  
It was getting darker as time went and Daryl didn't notice until Rick came up next to him and motioned to leave.

"S'all right. I'm thinkin' of takin' guard for a while longer."

"Okay. I'll send someone up in a while." Rick nodded to him then hurried down the stairs and inside. Daryl sighed in relief as he got some free time to himself. Even though there weren't that many people in their group, it was difficult at times to get alone time and it could get frustrating. The rolling of the thunder eased Daryl's mind a bit and he relaxed as it grew dark and the only light came from the lightening that was moving further and further away. There were no signs of movement for the longest time and Daryl sat back to wait for anything to happen as his thoughts went to his brother. If they found him, he was sure that Merle would leave the people he was with though he couldn't hide his concern that he wouldn't. Merle wasn't like Daryl, he didn't change. And if he did, usually it was for the worst. Most people would think Daryl was a bad person for thinking such things of his own brother, but knew Merle. It was Merle who had taught him to be ruthless and not to trust anyone; even his own brother. Daryl had grown though, and he trusted the people he was with now with his life.  
Daryl lifted his head as he spotted movement with a lightening flash and reached for the hunting rifle that they had decided to leave at the guard tower just in case. He lifted it to his eyes to see what had caused the movement along the tree line. In the next flash he looked through the scope to spot what it was and noticed a deer hopping through the trees frantically with a Walker following it.

"As long as you keep following the meat..." His words were mumbled and to himself as he kept an eye trained for the Walker to move closer to the fence and he watched the dark movements go back into the trees. He lowered the rifle and set it off to his side again with a brief feeling of relief. Yesterday, before they had found Layla, they had had a large group of Walkers come through and had killed them all, so the break was a welcome one. Once it was fully dark he heard clicking of shoes on the stairs and trained his crossbow on the entrance. He saw Oscar come up and stood from his chair and gave the other man a brief nod.

"Get some rest, man. You look tired." Daryl almost rolled his eyes at the mans observation and nodded once again before heading back down the stairs. He hurried back inside through the steady rain and tensed as he came up to the area that Michonne and Andrea were in. Both women were asleep in the corner of the room and Axel was standing guard at the gate. The old man let him in and then shut it behind him with a soft click. Daryl heard laughter from one of the cells and realized it was coming from the one that the firecracker had been given. Tilting his head curiously, he made his way to it and looked in to see Carol sitting on the bed with her, both eating a small plate of beans and what looked like little sausages.

"This is the biggest meal I have had in a very long time. Thank you, Carol."

"It's no problem at all." Daryl watched them exchange smiles until Carol looked up and spotted him. He merely waved at the both of them and went to his cell. He changed from his damp clothes into a pair of sweats that he had recovered a while ago and a shirt, then rummaged through his bag for something to eat. He pulled out an energy bar and a bottle of water and opened the bar with a grimace. Normally he would hunt his own food but with the weather lately he hadn't wanted to chance something to happen. He chewed on the bar and took several sips before he looked up to see Layla at his cell door.

"We all made beans and sausages, Daryl. Would you like some?" She held out a plate, her face barely illuminated by the couple of lights they had spared to use. They weren't sure how much diesel was left in the generators and as soon as they were done eating, they turned off the lights usually. Daryl sat forward and then motioned her into the cell. She opened it and held the plate out to him, which he took carefully.

"You didn't poison it, did ya?" Though he was teasing, he was also slightly serious on a certain level. He didn't trust her yet and was slightly concerned.

"No. I wouldn't do that. If I were going to kill you, Daryl, I wouldn't do it through poison." She looked slightly offended by his suggestion and he hid a grin by looking down at the plate.

"Thanks, Firecracker." Not realizing his err until it was too late, he sat back on his bed as Layla frowned and then raised an eyebrow.

"Firecracker?" She sounded amused and Daryl shrugged.

"So? What of it? You're like a firecracker. You randomly explode and your hair is bright red." He didn't back away as he explained it, though he was slightly irritated that he had said it out loud. He often didn't care too much of what slipped out but sometimes things were not meant to be said. And that was one he had never intended on letting slip out.

**Authors Note: **_Ugh! Sorry for the late update everyone! I'll post two chapters to make up for it!_


	14. Chapter 14- Don't Struggle, Sweetheart

Firecracker? Layla almost laughed at the strange nickname that had just come from Daryl.

"You American's are ballsy." She grinned and leaned against the wall to watch him with amusement. It had been Carol's idea to have Layla bring Daryl food and though she had tried to fight Carol, the woman was just too stubborn.

"Better to have the balls to say what you want than be a girl." Layla knew he had said it to irritate her and she bristled slightly at the insult but shook her head. Thankfully, Maggie had given her something to pull her hair back with and it wasn't such a curly, frizzy mess. The humidity in the air was making her hair do wild things and it was a wonder that none of the group had ran screaming. Even though Layla was exhausted, she still had work to do. First priority was to get Daryl on her side, second was to talk to Rick about Carl.

"Are you going on the food run tomorrow?" She tilted her head slightly to the right and he shrugged again as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"Don't know. It's up to Rick." Layla waited for him to continue but he didn't. She stood up straight and smiled softly.

"Well, I hope you go. You can hold your own out there and it'd be nice to have someone to argue with." She grinned and started to walk away as he gave her a baffled look. She almost laughed and left his cell to go down to Rick's. She knew that the lights would be going out soon, Carol had warned her of it so she wanted to be quick.

"Rick?" Her voice was quiet and most of the sounds heard were snores, some talking from a cell on the second floor, and the distant thunder.

"Yeah? Come on in." Rick's voice was just as quiet as hers had been and she opened his cell door and entered.

"Can I talk to you about something?" He had a small reading light on above his bed and he nodded and patted the bed beside him. She sat down and crossed her legs before letting out a soft sigh.

"Carl... earlier he and I talked. He said he'd been having awful dreams and hadn't been sleeping well." Layla bit her lip but didn't look away from him. He looked at her and nodded as if processing the information.

"I'll see what I can do about it." He was quiet a moment more and she moved to get up but he put a hand on her leg. "What do you think I should do? He's never had any nightmares before this. Nothing serious anyway." Layla looked at him with surprise and a small smile formed on her face.

"First you have to talk to him about it. See if he opens up but make sure you make it seem like you've noticed and you didn't hear it from me. See if he'll explain them to you and you can fix it. Just think of what you would want to hear if you had those nightmares as a child. And remember, even though he acts like an adult and has the responsibilities of one, he is still a child..." She smiled and patted his hand before she stood.

"Thanks, Layla." His voice was almost a whisper and she reached out gently and patted his head with a grin.

"Anytime, Rick. Goodnight." She turned and left his cell and crept back into hers with a smile. She felt mostly accomplished and she reached for her bag to look for the pair of shorts to sleep in. She quickly changed into them as the lights went out then climbed into her bed. She laid in her bed for a while and thought of the day. Though it had started out rocky and had ups and downs, she was mostly comfortable with the group at hand. She looked up at the top bunk with a small smile, wishing her da was there. He would have enjoyed this group much better than the one she had been in before. The one from before had been rough and untrustworthy. Something her father had pointed out was that they had lost their humanity, which was something to keep even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. There had been four men and two women, not including her da and herself. The women were hard around the edges and would have shot anyone that came too close, while the four men had felt just as equally off in varying degrees. She sighed and let loose her hair so it wouldn't give her a headache when she woke up, then put the hair tie next to her bag.

Soon the talking faded and soft snores filled the air along with a quiet whimpering. Layla sat up at the sound and listened for it again, thinking it may have been the baby. It wasn't, however, and she slipped from the bed to take a closer listen. It sounded as if it were coming from the second floor and from a woman. Layla opened her bag and rummaged for her flashlight and turned it on once it was found. She opened her cell door quietly and made her way quietly up the stairs, her bare feet silent on the metal. She turned off her flashlight and let her eyes grow accustomed to the darkness before making her way toward the whimpering. As she got closer she heard the sounds of clothes shifting and someone whispering and she almost turned around, thinking it was Maggie and Glenn. But the sounds became more frantic which made her hurry forward. She reached the cell it was coming from and saw a dark figure leaning over one that seemed to be trying to thrash around but wasn't able to do so.

"C'mon now, sweetheart. You know you'll like it, just don't fight and be quiet." Layla recognized the voice to belong to the older man, Axel, whom she had yet to actually meet. Realizing what was happening, she moved her flashlight to be ready to hit him and reached for the cell door. She opened it quietly and made her way toward him. She stepped on something and it crunched below her feet and as he lifted his head to look, she raised her arm and hit him on the head with the heavy flashlight. He grunted and reached up to rub his head when Layla realized that the girl he was over was Beth and she had been gagged and her hands tied together above her.

"You sick fuck." Layla glared at him and raised her arm to hit him again but he lunged at her and knocked her into the wall. Her head bounced off of it and she gritted her teeth in pain as he put his hand over her mouth and began to pin her. She attempted to raise her knee but he had her legs pinned and was trying for her arms. Using her already aching head, she headbutted him and made a sound as the pain spread through the back of her head to the front. He grunted in pain and lost his advantage over her, which Layla used to her advantage. She got one leg free and brought her knee up to the most sensitive area of a man and made a sound of victory as he stumbled away. She looked around wildly for her flashlight and bent to reach it when she was tackled from behind and hit face bounced into the floor with a thud. Her nose began bleeding and her head began to hurt tenfold what it had before but she heard rustling and the sound of whispering from another cell as he pinned her face down on the floor.

"H-Help!" The yell had come from Beth and Layla felt a brief flood of relief as she realized that Beth had managed to get her gag off of her face. She heard Axel swear and push her head into the floor before getting up and quickly grabbing the chair to put in front of the cell door as a failed attempt to block it. Layla lifted to her knees and reached for her flashlight as she heard running and the swaying light of a flashlight making its way toward Beth's cell. She turned to see Axel leaning over Beth and she swung her flashlight again, harder than the last time. It connected with a jarring crack and he dropped to the floor.

"What the fuck happened here?" Maggie stood at the cell door with Glenn, her voice almost panicked.

"H-he tried... he tried..." Beth couldn't speak and Layla untied her hands as Maggie tried opening the door. After untying her, Layla moved the chair from the door and Maggie rushed in followed by Glenn.

"Are you okay?" Glenn rested a hand on her arm and Layla nodded, watching as Maggie went to her sister and hugged her. Layla grimaced in pain, her head throbbing in pain along with her nose and the right side of her face. She reached up and realized she was still bleeding from the nose as more footsteps made their way up the stairs. She could barely pay attention to the next seconds, feeling slightly dizzy as more lights appeared and more voices.

**Authors Note: **_So, I know a lot of people love Axel and of course, I went there and made him the bad guy. XD But I wanted to expand on what he could be in jail for, and this struck me as a good idea. A reminder that the worry of Walkers isn't the only thing. :D_


	15. Chapter 15- Son of a Bitch

**Authors Note: **_A huge thank you to VoodooInTheTARDIS for being awesome. All of you should go read her stuff, it's freaking amazing. Also, thank you a billion times to FanFicGirl10 for continuing to read and comment on the chapters and being supportive. I know I haven't been all that together in the chapters, and often times it's a bit scattered, but I've been scatter-brained lately and I would like to apologize for that. Also, I apologize that things moved so fast for Layla, but I really wanted to get her in before shit started to hit the fan. I also really hate Axel, which means I will probably lose story followers for it, but I have never seen him as a good guy, despite what the cannon for him is. So I hope ya'll can tolerate that bit of info. Also, I'll be posting a little one shot that goes as a background story for Layla here in the next few days, so look around for that, yeah? :D _

Daryl had hurried up the stairs as soon as he had heard the cry for help. He had grabbed the closest weapon to him which had ended up being a knife. Not his first choice of weapon but good enough. Rick followed him upstairs and they had made their way to the sounds of voices and of soft crying. He hadn't expected to see Maggie holding her obviously devastated sister, an unconscious Axel, and the firecracker. He almost did a double take at Layla as he looked at her dazed demeanor, bloody nose, split lip, and a gash above her right eyebrow.

"What the fuck?" He moved into the jail cell, followed by Rick who was frowning.

"Layla, what happened? Layla?" Rick looked at the red haired woman but she didn't seem to be comprehending what he was saying.

"I believe she has a concussion. I think I know what happened here and if you don't get that piece of shit out of my sight, I will kill him." Hershel spoke from behind Daryl and Rick and they turned to look at him. It took only a brief second and a look in Hershel's face for Daryl to comprehend everything.

"Mother fucker. You son of a bitch." Daryl leaned above Axel as he started to rouse and punched him in the face before lifting him up. "You don't touch girls and women like that you son of a bitch!" He punched him again before Rick put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's get him in a cell and lock him in. Where's Carl?"

"I'm here dad." The boy had spoken from outside the cell and Daryl began to drag Axel out. He looked at Carl and was disheartened to see the boy looking confused and scared. Exposing this side of a man to the boy wasn't something anyone would have ever wanted.

"Let's go, Carl." Daryl managed to get the words to sound soft but he was still too infuriated to calm them down enough. Carl moved ahead of him and picked out an empty cell, unlocking it and opening it for Daryl to put Axel inside. He threw the man in and stalked him inside the cell as Axel fell to the ground.

"N-no, Daryl, please I-"

"I don't give a fuck what you think! You laid your filthy hands on a girl and a woman, you don't get no excuses!" He picked him up by the shirt and hit him again. Axel fell unconscious again and as he was getting ready to hit him again, Carl's hand stopped him.

"He's not worth it Daryl. He'll be Walker food in the morning." Daryl turned to the boy, seeing a strange look in the boys eyes, then dropped his hand.

"Yeah. Let's go." Daryl left the cell and waited for Carl to lock it before they headed back to Beth's. Layla was now sitting on a chair while Maggie comforted her sister on the bed. Carl moved to the bed and rested a hand on one of Beth's while the girl continued to cry softly.

"Is she okay?" Daryl looked at Rick as he knelt by Layla and rested a comforting hand on her knee.

"She'll be fine, just need to clean this up and put a bandage on the head wound." Hershel replied to his question and Daryl crossed his arms to observe. Layla still seemed a bit out of it but coming around slowly. Hershel had wiped most of the blood away from her nose and lip and she was holding a ripped sheet up to her nose to stop it from bleeding. Glenn had gone to get the medical supplies again and returned with them. Hershel grabbed an antibacterial wipe from the small first aid kit and began to wipe away the blood from the head wound and Layla grimaced. Daryl clenched his fists as he watched her grimace.

"Layla, can you tell us what happened?" This had come from Glenn and Daryl turned his gaze on the other man with a frown.

"A-aye. Hershel, do you have anything for headaches in that kit of yours? He managed to bounce my head off the wall and the floor." The last of her word were mumbled and Daryl narrowed his eyes before taking a deep breath through his nose.

"Sure do." He reached into the kit and pulled out a large gauze bandage and a large pill. Daryl knew that pill had come from the pharmacy in the town not far from the prison and figured she would probably be out like a light not long after she took it. Glenn handed her a bottle of water and she downed the pill before sighing.

"I heard sounds from upstairs and went to go investigate. At first I thought it was someone dreaming and then I thought it could be Glenn and Maggie but as I got closer I realized that they were scared sounds. I heard whispers and then when I got close enough I realized what was happening. I managed to sneak into the cell but stepped on something and he heard me. So I hit his head with the flashlight but he managed to throw me into the wall. He pinned me and so I headbutted him to try and get him to let up. It worked for the most part and I kneed him in the balls but as I was reaching for the flashlight, he tackled me from behind. Beth had managed to work her gag free and as he was trying to block the cell door I hit him in the head with the flashlight." The last was said with a matter of pride and Daryl noticed several nods from the others.

"Sh-she was amazing." They turned their gazes to Beth who was smiling at Layla. Daryl turned his gaze back to Layla and felt that anger again that he had been trying to squelch.

"Well, I'm glad we let you into our cell block now." Rick chuckled softly and she moved to stand but sat back down as if dizzy. Daryl continued to observe before tensing and walking out of the cell, body rigid and tense.

"Daryl? Where you going?" This had come from Glenn but he didn't turn, only continued to walk.

"To blow off some steam before I go kill that mother fucker."


End file.
